


Shoebox Secrets

by kciel



Category: Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Middle School, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Bullying, Family Drama, Friendship/Love, M/M, Rumors, Young Love
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-08-24
Updated: 2017-08-24
Packaged: 2018-12-19 06:26:28
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Underage
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,260
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11891937
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kciel/pseuds/kciel
Summary: Growing up, Ben and his siblings always hid their secrets inside shoeboxes. Little did he know, the richest family in town did the same thing, and once the box was opened, the shoes only got dirtier and dirtier.A short tale of growing up in a small town, where word spreads faster than a forest fire.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> this is a work in progress. title might be subject to change, and updates will come in the future. regardless, thanks for reading, and please comment your thoughts!

Ben hated getting up in the mornings―not necessarily because he hated them―but more so due to all the noise that practically butchered his ears before he even managed to get a foot out of bed.

However, his alarm wasn't the problem. Sure, it rung incessantly until he found the snooze button, but truthfully, he didn't even notice it was ringing most of the time because the sound of the twins arguing in the next room woke him up way before it ever did. Then, oftentimes the cries of baby Ani would follow suit along with the tap, tap, tapping of Winter's footsteps rushing in between rooms, trying to get ahold of the situation. It was practically impossible to get any shut-eye in the Solo household. So impossible, in fact, Winter'd often declare Ben to be her favorite amongst the Solo siblings.

The housekeeper was constantly bragging to Ben's parents about how well-behaved he was compared to the rambunctious twins, Jaina and Jacen, which his mother always found surprising since he was usually in trouble at school more often than not. Though Jacen used to be the same way, she'd say loud and proud, he eventually grew out of the pit of detention slips he was in and ultimately prevailed. Of course, Ben knew that was a load of bull despite how much his mom claimed it, because Jacen had a whole shoebox full of notes from his anger management class he was supposed to show her but never did―since they didn't need a signature or anything important like that, Jacen would tell him, and totally not because he was afraid of being grounded or losing his car privileges. 

But regardless, Ben somehow always managed to force himself up from the comfort of his bed every morning, with groggy eyes and a major headache―no thanks to the ruckus―that pounded against his skull. Despite the pain, he faced the harshness of the bright light as Winter flicked it on after knocking on his door to let him know it was time to wake up. The part of the morning he actually enjoyed would come soon enough.

After changing his clothes, brushing his hair and teeth, and managing to dodge his siblings as if they were bullets flying through the air, he ran downstairs, grabbed a piece of buttered toast Winter had made for him, and rushed out the door without a word. Scarfing down his toast in nearly one bite as he walked, he began to race down the block to the fanciest house in the neighborhood, where a redheaded kid in a loose blue sweater was already waiting for him with a sullen look on his face.

Armitage Hux was the richest kid in town. His dad was a big, well-known entrepreneur with the fakest smile anyone'd ever seen and the fanciest watch anyone'd ever hope to see. He had graying red hair that was always slicked back with some sort of gel and crystal blue eyes like his son's. His mom, on the other hand, was a really sweet woman about ten years younger than his dad―with honey-gold hair and warm brown eyes that glowed as if she were the sun itself. Everyone thought Mrs. Hux was the total opposite of Mr. Hux, and people were always whispering about the possibility of Hux Jr. being a bastard child. Of course, Hux would try his best to ignore them, as anyone would under his circumstances. 

"Huxley!" Ben shouted with a toothy grin, successfully earning an eye roll from his friend.

"Don't call me that," Hux scoffed, narrowing his bright blue eyes at him, "and why are you always late? You know if Mrs. Skywalker sees us walking in late again, she's definitely giving YOU detention."

"Well, you try sharing a bathroom with an older sister and an older brother, and see how easy it is to get two seconds to pee, Richie Rich." Ben teased, walking a few steps ahead of him to hit the button on the traffic light. They both waited a few seconds before the walk signal appeared, and then they both dashed across the crosswalk as if it were a race to the finishline, their backpacks clapping against their backsides as they ran.

Once they passed the used bookstore on Broad, the school was only a little bit further down, and as such, the two slowed down their pace so as not to arrive quicker than they'd prefer. They took a few steps in silence before Ben finally broke it, a bit concerned by how quiet Hux was being this particular morning, "So, did you not drink your coffee this morning or something, Red? You usually talk up a storm before class." He had meant to say it more or less as a joke, but he couldn't help but let a little bit of concern seep into his voice when he spoke.

Hux almost seemed surprised that Ben asked, eyes widened like a deer caught in headlights, "Well, uh, yes, actually... Mom ran off to Grandma's house last night, so no one made any this morning."

"Huh." Ben spoke tentatively, trying to act casual as he stared in the opposite direction, pretending to be observing the shop windows as they passed by. He noticed a woman with hair resembling the colors of Starburst candies in Halo's Salon before begging the question he knew he had to ask, "Why'd she do that?"

Hux sighed, kicking a pebble with his shoe to distract himself, "Her and dad got in a fight again last night about something he did a long time ago."

"Did your dad do something bad?"

"I don't know, but it was apparently bad enough to upset her that much. He came into my room afterwards to talk, I guess, but I pretended I was asleep." 

There was a long moment of silence between them, and soon the two began to feel the unavoidable awkwardness settle in like an unwelcome rain cloud distancing the two of them―a cloud that hung low, ready to rain down and ruin their freshly-painted parade floats.They both had a feeling the rumors might be written beneath the paint, in poorly done graffiti.

Ben turned his attention back to Hux after a while, trying to think of something he could say to cheer him up, even just a little, "Well, I wouldn't think too much about it. I mean, my mom and dad fight all the time, and sometimes my mom gets so mad, she bares her teeth like a dog."

Hux chuckled slightly, "I can see that. Your mom is kinda scary."

"Oh, you better believe it," Ben went on, "I've never seen it happen, but my dad once said she got so mad outside a bar one time, she punched some drunk guy in the face and knocked out three of his teeth!"

"No way!" Hux laughed.

"He swears she did to this day!"

And soon, the two of them were laughing together like the two pals they'd always been, and the unwelcome rain cloud hanging above their heads just moments before seemed to vanish into thin air, to let the sunshine through once again. Of course, they both knew deep down, the sunshine wouldn't last forever.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> it's ya boi, back at it again with the updates.... i'll go home

When Ben and Hux arrived on campus, Ben spotted his cousin Rey leaned against the old, white wooden railing that led up a small set of stairs towards the main entrance of the brick school building. She looked rather agitated, Ben noted, his eyes immediately drawn to the pastel pink that traced her athletic frame. He nearly cracked up when she puffed out her cheeks, clearly annoyed by the smirk on his lips that was slowly curling its way into a full-on teasing grin.

Rey was never a girly-girl by any means, but since her mom and dad liked to act like classy folks, she was occasionally forced into a skirt every now and then after being guilted by her mom into doing so—usually after an argument of some sort. Today, it seemed, her mom managed to get her into a pleated pink skirt and a matching blouse, surprisingly with no tears in the seams or any grass stains to spite her. What’s more, her hair was also done up into a pair of twin braids, complete with pale, pink, silk ribbons to tie them off at the ends. 

And even though she was pretty to look at, Ben and Hux couldn’t help but to snicker at the sight of her, which only embarrassed the poor girl even more. Once the tears began prickling at the corners of their eyes and the giggles became harder and harder to suppress, Rey decided she had had enough of it and threatened to punch the two of them upside the head if they didn’t stop any time soon.

As more and more students shuffled into the barren courtyard, the school bell rang above them in the old bell tower, signaling it was time to go to class. The sixth and seventh graders crowded around the two staircases leading into the main building, while the eighth graders formed a single-file line as they reported to the small wooden cabin at the other end of the schoolyard. Rey had somehow managed to fish Finn out of the crowd and clung to his arm so as not to get lost in the sea of middle schoolers, while Ben hung on to Hux’s sleeve as they marched up the staircase.

Vineyard Middle School had been around for years, and the building was slowly starting to wither away with age. However, since it was the only middle school in town, there was no other place for grades 6-8 to go—at least not until the construction for the new school on the other side of town was completed. So, for now, the students simply had to deal with dodging the weak spots and holes in the floorboards as well as the cobwebs and leaky spots in the ceiling—not to mention, the lack of an air conditioning unit.

As soon as Ben walked inside, he was greeted with a wave of hot musty air in his face that made him have to roll up the sleeves of his sweatshirt. He noticed Hux doing the same.

Inside, there were only four rooms, not including the main hallway. The two rooms on the left side of the building included the principal’s office and the faculty room, while the two on the right were reserved as classrooms—one for sixth graders and the other for seventh graders. The eighth graders had their own building at the back of the campus, which was merely an old cabin with a coal stove in the corner. Sometimes eighth graders would venture into the main building to retrieve the keys to the old tool shed, so they could grab a bucket of coal to heat up the classroom during the wintertime.

Ben followed the line of seventh graders towards the classroom with the sloppily-painted seven splattered on the door in red paint, nearly tumbling into Hux’s backside when someone accidentally stepped on the back of his sneaker. When he and his friends managed to get through the door in one piece, they all bolted to the best table in the room—the one in the back closest to the windows. 

It was always best to sit closest to the windows because the teacher would allow the kids there to crack one open if it got too hot or stuffy—a luxury many were desperate to have in this heated hellhole of a school. What’s more, each table could seat up to four students—just enough to clump Ben, Hux, Rey, and Finn altogether. And since there were only two tables near that side of the room, it was first come, first serve. Luckily, Rey was the fastest kid in class, so whenever the doors opened up, Rey was usually the first one in. She was always willing to fight off the vultures trying to steal her friends’ seats, and she often succeeded, considering no one was man enough to take a blow in the gut from one of her intense punches. 

This particular morning, however, they all managed to reach their favorite table at the same time, immediately sliding the window open as they gasped desperately for fresh air. Ben hung his backpack on the back of his chair before finally sitting down. His face was as red as a bottle of ketchup, and the autumn breeze flowing through the open window seemed to caress his face refreshingly like a gentle pair of cold hands. He glanced over at Hux and realized his face was just as red, if not more so, watching as he fanned away at his face with a sheet of loose paper he found sitting on the table. Rey had taken to sticking her head out the window in order to cool down, and Finn had laid his head down on the cooler surface of the table—since he was often prone to dizzy spells in the exhausting heat.

A few minutes after everyone had claimed their seats, they heard the bell chime above their heads once again, covering their ears from the deafening tone. Soon, Mrs. Skywalker walked into the classroom in her fancy, white business-lady-heels, grinning widely at Rey as she entered—no doubt because of her outfit.

Unlike Ben or Hux, Rey resembled her mother a great deal. Both of them had long, healthy, brown hair and stormy pools of gray eyes that seemed to change color depending on what they wore. They both walked with a confident strut—like most of the Skywalker or Solo girls—with shoulders back and heads held high as if they were goddesses, ready to be worshipped. However, the differences in their personalities were abundantly clear in the way they carried themselves. 

Rey was much more aggressive—ready to fight the good fight—while her mother was more of a pacifistic, Christian woman, who openly voiced her opinion against Rey’s rash behavior. It wasn’t rare to see them butt heads, and when they did, the two were one in the same during the scream-fest that ensued, which often ended with Ben’s uncle stepping in between the two and forcing them to compromise. 

They were all a bit surprised when Mrs. Skywalker approached their table and knelt down beside Hux’s seat, passing him a small sticky note as she told him to report to the principal’s office in a quiet voice. Hux took one glimpse at the sticky note, and the color immediately drained from his face. Without another word, Mrs. Skywalker stood back up and walked to the front of the classroom as if nothing had happened, and Hux began gathering his things.

“What’s going on?” Ben whispered, concerned. Rey and Finn were staring at him with confused looks as well, and Finn offered to make a copy of notes for him, to which Hux merely shook his head.

Hux silently picked his backpack up from the floor and slung it over his shoulder, glancing back at Ben for a moment before ducking out the room quietly. Mrs. Skywalker began writing the equation for density on the chalkboard and set a stack of papers on the front desk, “Today, we’ll be doing some lab work. Each group should send up someone to grab a paper and follow the instructions accordingly. For those of you missing a member,” she said, staring directly at Ben, “just write their name on the paper and have them do the questions on part D over the weekend.”

When Finn generously got up to go get their table’s lab sheet, Rey leaned across the table to whisper to Ben, “Isn’t that weird?”

“What?” He asked, furrowing his brows in confusion.

“That Hux came to school today just to leave so early.”

Ben thought about it for a moment and remembered the sullen expression that was on Hux’s face earlier that morning. The hairs on the back of his neck were standing on end, as if he, too, knew something was up, but he didn’t say anything about the situation Hux had mentioned before. He wasn’t sure if Hux would be comfortable with him sharing something so private, so he just shrugged nonchalantly, “Maybe he forgot he was supposed to do something important today.”

“But Hux is usually so responsible. If it was important, I’m sure he wouldn’t forget.” Rey insisted, as if she knew Ben was hiding something from her.

But, he wouldn’t budge, “Who knows?”

He spun around in his chair then, no longer interested in talking to Rey, and pretended to busy himself looking for something in his bag. Taking the hint, Rey sat back in her chair, awkwardly tapping her pencil against the table until Finn returned. Soon, they were all immersed in their school work, and Hux’s absence slipped everyone’s minds—except Ben’s. 

After all, if something was wrong, surely he would tell Ben… _Right?_


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> unedited; subject to change

When school ended, Ben said goodbye to his cousin, who had to stay at the campus after hours while her mom reviewed teaching material in the faculty room. He knew if they had to stay too late, he’d more than likely hear from her later over the telephone. He never minded it much, even if he had lots of homework to do, since he could only imagine how boring it must have been for her. 

After they parted ways, he followed the line of students leaving the building and immediately spotted his mom’s old SUV parked out front. Though he preferred walking, Winter would sometimes pick him up from school if his mom lent her the keys. Since three o’clock was one of the busier times of the day in this town, when many of the shops and restaurants were switching workers, Winter more oftentimes than not made a fuss about picking Ben up from school. 

She was particularly protective over him—perhaps because she was the one who helped deliver him when his mom couldn’t make it to the hospital in time—and she didn’t like all the older kids goofing around the streets after school. It made her paranoid that Ben would be bullied, since her own nephew was once chased and cornered by a group of sophomores who were looking for trouble. Since that day, she made a promise to always pick up the kids when able, and if she couldn’t, she would at least meet them halfway. 

Once Ben climbed into the truck, he managed to squeeze in between the twins and the car seat holding his baby brother. Baby Anakin, upon seeing his brother, happily gurgled and nearly dropped his pacifier on the floor. Fortunately, Ben caught it and stuck it back in his mouth. 

Ben tossed his backpack over the seat and into the trunk of the car before turning back around to face the front. He was surprised to find his mom in the driver’s seat and Winter on the passenger’s side.

“You’re off early.” He commented, watching her warm brown eyes flicker up to glance at him in the mirror.

“Yep. How was school, Bennie?” She asked as she put the car in drive and slowly pulled out of the schoolyard. 

“Okay, I guess.” He shrugged nonchalantly, watching the other students’ faces pass by as they drove off, “Hux got checked out of class early for some reason.”

“Huh.” Leia mused before silently cursing under her breath at the car that suddenly pulled out in front of them.

It was silent then, with the exception of the radio station playing the steady rhythm of “Eye of the Tiger,” and the occasional honking of horns due to the traffic—or his mom’s road rage. When Jacen’s hand brushed against Ben’s thigh, he looked down to see a small scrap of paper sitting in his lap. Unfolding the paper, Ben looked at the note, written in his brother’s sloppy hand-writing— _“When we get home, I’ve got something for you,” _it read.__

__Ben quirked an eyebrow at this but simply crumpled the note and shoved it in his pocket. It wasn’t unusual for Jacen to slip him cool things that he found or bought. Ben knew he had been secretly selling things at school for money without his mom’s knowledge. Sometimes he’d use that money to buy Ben or Jaina little gifts. He could never tell if he did this because they knew his secrets or because he simply wanted to, but he appreciated them nevertheless. He’d always admired his older brother growing up, and he liked getting attention from him—even if it was only because he peeked inside that old shoebox with the stack of detention slips._ _

__As the drive continued on in silence, Ben found himself gazing out the window in deep thought, wondering if Hux was okay. He had been worried about him since their talk that morning, and he had the sneaking suspicion his absence in the classroom had something to do with his parents’ issues. When they passed by an old Catholic church that had been around since the 19th century, he swore he caught sight of a blur of red hair, and though he tried to brush off the heavy emotions settling on his thin shoulders, he couldn’t help but to let his thoughts delve into a frenzied panic of questions—Was that Hux? And if so, why was he at a church? Since when did his family bother taking him to church? Was the fight more serious than he had previously thought?_ _

__His mind didn’t stop running its god-awful metaphorical mouth until they arrived home and pulled up in the driveway. As soon as his mom put the car in park, the siblings all piled out of the van—Jaina first, then Jacen, and finally Ben. Winter got out of the passenger’s side and almost robotically went to the back-passenger’s door to unbuckle Baby Anakin from his seat. Leia tossed the keys to the oldest Solo kid—Jaina—then dug around in the glove box for some small gift she apparently got for their dad—which Ben noticed was packaged in a little gold box topped with a silver bow._ _

__“What’s that?” He asked his mom curiously. It was strange enough that she was picking them up from school, but it was even stranger that she got their dad a gift. It was completely out of character, Ben thought._ _

__“Your father and I’s anniversary will be soon,” she said, hopping down to the gravel below before slamming the car door shut with her elbow, “I thought I would change things up a little.”_ _

__“Why?” Ben asked, quirking a brow, “He probably didn’t get you anything.”_ _

__Though Ben thought this would provoke her, she simply laughed and ruffled his hair, “You’ve got a lot to learn about love, Bennie.” Then she was off, bounding up the steps behind his siblings. Winter followed close in tow with Baby Ani in her arms, and without a word, Ben followed too._ _

__When Ben entered their house, he was greeted by the familiar scent of the apple cinnamon air freshener Winter liked to spray around to cover up the stench of his dad’s cigarette smoke. Though there were two floors, their house was kind of on the small side and cluttered with family mementos and useless knick-knacks that none of them ever had the heart to throw out._ _

__It was warm inside, and the sensation made Ben get chicken skin as he had grown used to the cool autumn air outside. He hung his bookbag on the hook near the door and then made his way to the stairs, where his older brother stood waiting for him._ _

__Jacen motioned for Ben to follow, then leapt upstairs two-steps at a time. Ben followed him, and the pair raced to the twins’ room, where Jacen immediately hopped on his bed and reached to the other side to get something—another shoebox. Ben sat on the floor by the bed and stared at his brother with a questioning gaze, wondering if it was the same shoebox from before with all the teacher’s notes and detention slips—it was._ _

__“I already know about those.” Ben told him bluntly with an unimpressed look._ _

__“Not that.” Jacen scoffed, opening the box to reveal a CD atop the mountains and mountains of yellow and pink slips. Ben’s brown eyes almost popped out of their sockets at the sight as he looked back and forth between his brother and the CD._ _

__“Go on, take it.” Jacen told him with a grin, and Ben snatched it from the box, eyes gleaming with greed._ _

__“This is the new Screaming Trees album!” Ben mused in astonishment as he admired the black and yellow cover art, “Where did you get it?”_ _

__“This kid I know.” Jacen answered reluctantly, smirking a bit as he said it, “Let’s just say—I know a guy who happens to stock the CDs at the music shop downtown.”_ _

__Ben stared at his brother, completely at a loss for words. For a moment, he thought about what his mom had said to him just moments before._ _

__“Hey… why did you get me this?” He asked._ _

__Jacen seemed surprised at the question, pondering it for a minute, “Well… because I know you’ve been wanting it,” and then as if an afterthought, “—and because you’re my little brother.”_ _

__Then, like their mom, he ruffled Ben’s hair._ _


End file.
